UVA Health System

Thankfully, I don’t have a lot of experience with emergency rooms. What I wasn’t ready for was how busy they truly are. It’s just like the TV dramas. Patients everywhere, even in the hallways. Takes a while to get a bed. May take a while to get to talk to a doctor.
All things considered, the emergency experience here was pretty good. When I did get to speak to the doctors, they were thorough, patient, caring and happy to answer all questions. The nurses were a bit more accessible, and they too were really nice and professional.
Rush hour traffic is jammed around the hospital, so avoid visiting at those times, when possible.

Well, I’m not shocked to see a 2-​star rating. My wife and I went to the main ER after a boating accident this morning. We decided to stop here, on the way back to NoVA, as I did not want the chest pain/​injury to become a bigger problem somewhere between C’ville and NoVA. It was not a pleasant experience.
I have no issue with the nurses, techs, and doctors, as I suspect all of my issues are caused by the administration. Here we go:
1) A 46 yo male comes into the waiting room presenting chest pains and shortness of breath caused after a 30 mph left side body slam into the water while tubing. I am made to wait almost 10 minutes before being seen by triage, and then another 45 minutes before being «admitted», to the ER. This is a BIG, ROOKIE mistake. Chest pains should get you hooked to an EKG stat. Or was it because I had a hat with a Rebel flag on it? If so, an even bigger «screw you» for sandbagging me, and potentially threatening my life.
2) It took 2 hours to get a chest x-​ray and EKG. WTF?
3) My wife took 6.5 hours to get admitted, receive a CT scan, and then get discharged.
4) I was put in a corridor, while rooms/​beds were empty. It was degrading to the point, where they gave me an EKG right in the hallway. Not that I care who sees me with my shirt off — but still pretty lame. I guess my premium BCBS insurance and several thousand dollar watch wasn’t an indicator that I could pay for any accommodations?
5) Then there was pain management. After pleading with the doc to give me a painkiller, they bring me an ibuprofen. Hell, I could have gone to the medic bag in my trunk and gotten that. Finally after more pestering, they were able to part with 1 X 5 mg Percocet. Oh, and I was also given a Lidoderm (Lidocaine) patch for my pain. I questioned the nurse and was told «oh this works well for these types of injuries». Well guess what nurse niceass — you’re WRONG, like I said. That patch is used for «Temporary relief of minor muscle and joint aches and pains caused by arthritis, simple backache, strains, tendon problems, or nerve problems,» NOT a 30 mph impact against the water. I was also generously given prescriptions for more of said patches and ibuprofen. Gee thanks.
My wife also received similar treatment — and she looks FAR more respectable than I did this morning — Tiffany jewelry, pricey purse, Cartier watch, and a 3 ct. diamond.
After speaking with several doctors and nurses, who when asked about some pain meds literally turned and walked away from us (separately and together), one honest one finally admitted they had problems with «drug seekers.» OK, fine, I get it. UVA Hospital can’t come up with a better protocol to separate the junkies from those in pain?
And to add to this insult, no fewer than 8 or so of the healthcare professional saw the video of the accident, as recorded from the back of the boat pulling us.
If you can avoid this hospital, I would do so. Whether or not the healthcare professionals really care or not is unknown, but it is evident that management does not. The more I think about this, the more I realize that a) how insulted I am and b) how many other people with internal injuries have agonized in pain for nothing.
I think I’ll go seek real medical help tomorrow since I am not dying.

My grandmother just died in their care. I have to live with the fact that I will never know if she could have survived, but I do KNOW that she didn’t have to die as painfully as she did.
They:
1) Presented no alternatives to my grandmother other than brain surgery. Let’s face it, an 89 yr old woman headed into brain surgery has a slim chance of survival, they should have explored every other option and made her risks well known to her. Dying of natural causes would have been better than how she ended up dying. Instead of explaining her risks to her clearly, when she said she had to write a will before surgery they said she would be out of the hospital in 10 days and didn’t need to. She didn’t do it.
2) Refused to let my cousin and I speak with my grandmother before surgery telling me ‘this many people do not need to be calling’. I guess there is a limit of people who can call and say their final goodbyes. Good to know.
3) Failed to accurately communicate her status to us. They said she came out of surgery in good shape and failed to tell us she didn’t leave post op without being taken back to be treated for a vasospasm via angiogram. After that, for 3 days they reported she was stable while her condition was actually declining. Even on her second to last day on earth, they did not tell us that they had — in their infinite wisdom — decided they would not give her anything stronger than Tylenol for pain, even when she was wincing in pain, gagging on the breathing tube, grasping her chest, and constantly had a furrowed brow indicating constant discomfort in between the jabs of sheer pain that I could clearly see. Yes, that is how she spent her last few days on this earth — in pain.
4) They allowed her to be in pain, and I felt that they were using her as an experiment, allowing her to have respirations of 30 – 45 a minute for days, and a heart rate between 96 – 107 beats per minute. It’s like they wanted to see how long she could last under those conditions. They could have turned on the ventilator to ease her discomfort. You try taking that many breaths per minute — it’s hyperventilation. At this point, I don’t think there was any saving her… but we could have been reasonable about what we were putting her through.
5) Adding insult to injury they were rude to my family, they had her name wrong and issued the death certificate in the wrong name and gave her personal belongings — before she was dead — to the ONE person in the family that I would think would steal from her.
So there ya go. What did they do right? Literally nothing. She was taken there with a brain bleed, but was conscious and talking and alert. She died of a heart attack — she had no known heart conditions before being admitted, and they surely did some testing on her heart to make sure she could withstand the surgery before suggesting it, right? There were no cautions or concerns expressed about her heart.
I hate these people.

This review is for the cancer center across from the main hospital. specifically the gynecological oncology department. I traveled from northern VA to see Dr. Modesitt. She was wonderful. I didn’t feel rushed and she answered all of my questions and concerns. She had a resident with her that day too who was wonderful as well. Everyone was really nice and efficient and I was pleased with my experience there.

My mother was admitted for minor surgery and spent 3 days on 5W. She wasn’t able to walk unassisted or get to the bathroom on her own. More often than not, when she rang for assistance, no nurses ever showed up! Once, all her linens were removed (my brother had gone out) and she was left for an extended period without blankets. She was freezing and no one bothered to bring her a freaking blanket! Finally, much later, her nurse came by and brought warmed blankets. They should’ve been supplied WHEN the dirty linens were taken! WTF?! No one came to sponge her off or bring the toothbrush kit until the day before she left. Thank you to the pregnant nurse who actually took care of my mother! I’m 2500 miles away and can’t be there for another 2 weeks. I thought I could trust a freaking HOSPITAL to take proper care of people, but clearly I was wrong. I won’t let that happen again. Thank you to Tanya, who DID call me to let me know what would happen with my mother’s procedure. To those who are only there for a paycheck, shame on you!

Avoid this hospital like the plague. Literally. Hospital acquired pneumonia is rampant here. As a patient, you will only find extremely poor patient care delivered by an astonishingly rude, seemingly uneducated, uncommunicative team– at all levels. If you want to be treated by doctors and nurses who don’t have time to ensure you are provided for in a clean, safe environment, this is the place for you!

Despite some nice people this place is a total mess regarding scheduling appointments. Assume that a set appointment time means that they will see you sometime in the next four hours. It’s endemic in the place and stems from an institutional lack of respect for their patients.

A wonderful and welcoming hospital. The design could be a bit confusing at times but I love that construction is being done. While some people complain that having hospitals and buildings on university campuses continually under construction is annoyance, I see it more as dedication to patients and the community. Everyone I spoke with was pleasant and helpful and I enjoyed my time here.